A Gentle Flame
by Masterpiece Stories
Summary: Arrin, a Great Horned Owl, always enjoyed his quiet life of solitude in the forests of Hyjal. Everything will change when the Firelands invades the forest. After the attack, Arrin returns home to find a runaway minion of Ragnaros; Allie, a fire cat, seeking refuge in his home. However, she is not as evil as he suspected. Their unlikely friendship may one day save the entire forest!
1. Chapter 1: A Strange Guest

The sun was rising over Hyjal as dawn turned into day. Sunlight burst forth through the trees, giving light to the land below. It was quiet and calm, with the only noise being that of the gentle wind rustling the leaves, the babbling brook flowing, and the chirping of birds high up in the tree branches.

A brown Horned Owl emerged from the trees, gliding towards the forest floor on gentle silent wings. Before coming to a complete descent, he launched his talons forward and landed on top of an unsuspecting field mouse, pinning it to the floor. After successfully catching his prey he fluttered his wings and stretched his neck. The forests of Hyjal were always calm and serene to the point where even a reclusive owl like himself could feel at peace.

Before he could lower his beak downwards to finish off his prey and enjoy a morning meal, his ear suddenly perked upright, his attention drawn towards a nearby tree to his left. He turned and gazed at the tree, his head tilted slightly to the side.

The tree began to crack and groan until it started to grow a bright red. The Owl lifted his foot off of his prey, letting it escape. He then took a few steps back as the tree started to glow more and more red until suddenly it burst into flames. He gasped and took a few more steps back as he looked on in shock and awe. The tree, now ablaze and disturbing the gentle forest scene, suddenly split in half right down the middle. The two halves of the blazing tree started to twist and gnarl into grotesque shapes until they formed what seemed like a circular arch.

A flash of light erupted forth from the flaming arch, causing the Owl to shield his eyes with his wing. When next he looked up, the arch was now a portal and minions of the Firelands were pouring forth. Elementals, infernal spiders, molten hounds, fiery cats, and vicious salamanders armed with spears and swords all poured forth from the portal.

The Owl's heart sank, anxiety gripped him tightly as the terror began to overwhelm him. He quickly beat his wings and took flight, aiming to fly as far from the chaos as he could. He soared forward from left to right, dodging trees and branches along the way, then he noticed several more portals opening up, all of them spewing out horrific and terrifying monsters, all of them servants of the Firelord, Ragnaros.

His breathing sped up to match the speed of his racing heart. The farther and farther he flew, the more it seemed like he was going deeper into some sort of nightmarish hellscape. The trees around him creaked and bellowed as if in agony as they started to catch fire and burn. Smoke began to rise through the forest, clouding his vision and making breathing difficult. He coughed violently, distracting himself from his surroundings. Suddenly a falling flaming branch broke off from a burning tree and struck him out of the air.

The Owl hit the ground with a loud thud, but before he could get up, the tree branch fell right onto the tip of his wing, pinning him to the forest floor. He gasped and tried desperately to free himself but it was no use. He took his gaze off his wing to look around. Smoke filled the forest as trees burned and black ash fell from the sky, covering the forest floor with a disturbing dreadful black color. Terror filled his heart to the brim as the once beautiful forest around him now looked like a scene from his darkest of nightmares.

The servants of the Firelands closed in around him, killing, burning, and destroying everything they came across. As his breathing and heart rate continued to elevate he felt something jump on top of the branch that had his wing pinned. He turned his head to see a flaming cat, one of Ragnaros' many enslaved beasts standing above him.

His heart sank even further as he looked up to the beast in terror. "No! Please!" He pleaded. "Mercy!" Though when he looked up to the beast's face, he couldn't help but notice that it was about as unsettled as he was. The flaming cat looked around at the destroyed forest before looking down towards the frightened owl.

"Alla-Stissa!" Shouted a far away flame cat in a demanding tone.

The flaming cat turned her head towards the direction of the sound. "I'm coming!" She said. She looked back down at the owl with pity and sympathy and used her paws to slowly roll branch away until the Owl was free.

The Owl was covering his eyes, awaiting his demise but much to his surprise the log was rolled away and he was free. He and the flaming cat made eye contact for a brief moment. He started into her eyes but he didn't see rage, malice, and hate as he had with the other minions of Ragnaros. There was something different about her. She seemed anxious, unsure, perhaps even unwilling.

"Go!" She said, urging him to flee as the Ragnaros' minions started to close in around them.

Their brief gaze at each other was soon interrupted as the flaming cat was blasted with a bolt of arcane energy and sent soaring through the air until she collided against a nearby burning tree and fell to the ground with a thud.

The Owl quickly took a few steps back and looked up to see a force of druids advancing towards the site of the Firelands Invasion.

"Brothers! Sisters! Attack! Attack in the name of Aviana!" The leader of the Druids shouted.

The forces of the Firelands and the Protectors of Hyjal clashed in an epic battle of magic, sword, and claw. Not wanting to be around for any of this, the Owl took off in the direction the Druids came from, escaped the forest, and soared into the open sky.

He took a calm and relaxed breath of fresh air and closed his eyes as he started to calm down. He looked back behind him and saw a large chunk of the forest burning. He scowled in anger and turned his attention forward.

* * *

He eventually came to a slow descent at a nearby river. After checking to make sure the coast was clear he grumbled to himself and started to shake the ash out of his brown and white wing feathers.

"Cursed, Bloody, No-good, Villainous, Evil..." He grumbled on with increasing anger as he started picking dead leaves and twigs out of his wings with his beak. "...Rotten, Vile, Disgusting, Soulless FIENDS!" He shouted with a stomp of his foot.

A squirrel, who lived far from the site of the invasion also happened to be by the creak. He looked up towards the Owl and noticed him stomping his feet and cursing. "Arrin? Is that you?"

"Yes it's me!" He replied angrily and with a hint of condescension as he continued to pick debris out of his coat.

"Well what on earth happened to you?" The Squirrel replied.

Arrin grumbled. "What do you think happened to me? Those wretched fire fiends attacked the forest yet again! Their arrogance and lust for power knows no bounds! Now look at me! A mess!" He said with a grumpy tone of voice. "Ugh!"

"What will you do now?" The Squirrel asked.

Arrin sighed rubbed his forehead with his wing, clearly annoyed. "Now that my appetite is positively ruined I suppose I'll wait this out while the Druids deal with the pests, then I can go home and forget all about this. If i'm lucky then perhaps my hollow will be untouched by the flames."

The squirrel's face lit up. "Oh goody! Well since you have time why not come back to my tree? I can show my acorn collection! I have them of all shapes and sizes!" He said hopefully.

Arrin lowered his eyebrows in a most uninterested manner. The overly talkative and clingy nature of forest squirrels never appealed to him in the slightest. "No thanks." He said before taking his leave. "I'd rather go back to the flaming forest..." He muttered to himself.

"What was that?" The squirrel said.

"Nothing! Nothing... farewell." Arrin said before turning, rolling his eyes and taking flight.

* * *

The smoke died down and the Druids managed to drive the forces of Ragnaros back. The forest fire was put out but the scar on the land would remain for quite some time. Once the battle had concluded, Arrin began to make his way back to his home. Much to his delight, his massive tree was untouched by the flame. Arrin's tree was truly enormous. He lived in the hollow in the center of it. The tree's hollow was incredibly large, much larger than any one Owl could possibly have need for, but Arrin enjoyed his space, a lot of it at that.

He sighed. "Home at last..." He said as he finally perched himself on the hollow's edge. When he looked inside his home, his beak dropped wide open. There in front of him was a flaming cat, sound asleep!

Arrin gasped and was about to flee as fast as he could but he noticed the cat was asleep. Once he realized he wasn't in any immediate danger he lowered his eyebrows and grumbled once more. "For heaven's sake! I can't believe how this day is turning out!" He said walking further into his home, looking over the flaming cat. "Out of all the places to hide, it had to be my home! Of course it did!" He complained.

He peeked his head outside and looked around, noticing nothing out of the usual. He then looked back into his home towards the sleeping cat. One thing about her that puzzled him was how the flames on her burning hide were not setting his tree on fire. Despite her pelt glowing bright with fire, it did not burn the wood on which she slept.

Arrin kept his distance from her and picked up a nearby stick with his talons. He walked around behind her until he was standing near her hind legs, wanting to keep out of distance from her teeth and front claws. Using the stick in his talons he gently poked her foot, trying to wake her up.

Her leg twitched slightly after being touched but she remained asleep. Arrin growled and continued to prod her foot, poking her toes and paw pads until eventually her eyes opened, she gasped, and lifted up her head to see who was touching her.

The two of them met eye contact. Arrin was ready to take flight at a moments notice if she tried to get up and pounce on him. She tried to sit up straight but Arrin pointed his stick at her. "No! You stay laying down. I like you right where you are right now." He said with a demanding tone. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't tell the druids you're here and have them take you away?" Arrin said, threatening her.

The flaming cat laid back down, resting her head on the floor of the hollow. "I'm sorry! I didn't know anyone lived here. I didn't mean to intrude." She said with an apologetic tone.

Arrin perked an eyebrow, finding it odd that a minion of Ragnaros would be apologizing to him. "You're...apologizing? To me?" He said curiously.

"This is your home right? If it is, then I'm sorry. I promise I mean you no harm. I didn't know anyone lived here." She said.

At that moment, Arrin recognized her voice and her face. His expression turned from one of suspicion and anger to one of genuine surprise. "It's you...Alla-Stissa isn't it? You... y-you saved me earlier." Arrin said. "W...w-why?" he said with a perked a brow though his guard was never dropped for a moment.

Alla-Stissa shrugged. "Just trying to do the right thing. You already know my name. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Arrin." He said, lowering her eyebrows again, still suspicious of her. He raised his stick back towards her, threatening to poke her again.

"Erin?" She said with a soft chuckle and a warm tone of voice. "That's a girl's name! That name is positively adorable!"

"A-r-r-i-n. Not E-r-i-n." He scolded. "I will not be mocked and teased in my own home!" He said, pointing the stick closer to her.

Arrin couldn't tell what kind of game she was playing. It looked like she was trying to play friendly and cute, but he was smart enough to not be fooled so easily. He didn't trust her. He kept his stick pointed at her.

She looked down at his stick and back up to him. "I hope you aren't planning to poke my feet with that stick again are you? I'm very ticklish, especially on my toes!" She said with a light giggle trying to sound non-threatening.

"Enough!" Arrin said. "What are you doing here?" He said before taking a quick look around the hollow. "And how come your fire isn't burning this tree down?"

Alla-Stissa remained still, laying on her side facing him. "I didn't want to go back to the firelands. It's a cruel place. It's much more peaceful here." She said, closing her eyes and take a deep breath of the cool forest air. "As for your second question, I can control the heat of my body to an extent. My pelt may be on fire but I assure you it is cool to the touch. Go ahead, give it a touch! You won't get burned I promise."

When she saw he wasn't moving at all she tried to reason with him. "Come on...why would I save you before only to kill you again later? I promise I'm friendly!"

Arrin didn't know what to think. He sure didn't trust her. Using the stick in his talons he prodded her leg with it, noticing that it didn't catch fire or singe even in the least. He very carefully and gently walked towards her, keeping an eye on her face at all times to make sure she didn't try to pounce. He placed his wing on her thigh and gently brushed it down the side of her leg. He noticed the flames lapped at his feathers but he did not catch fire nor did her skin even feel hot.

After he gently stroked her leg with his wing she looked to him and tried to offer him a calm gentle smile. "Now will you drop the stick?" She asked.

Arrin grumbled once more and continued to look her over.

"This is a lovely tree you have here, by the way."

"Oh what do you know about 'lovely'?" Arrin snapped at her. "You and your friends came here to destroy everything! You know what else was lovely? The patch of forest YOU helped burn down!" He accused.

Alla-Stissa frowned, her face noticeably saddened. "You have every right to be mad at me. I admit I've done some terrible things in the past but I'm trying to make amends. You have to believe me when I say I don't believe in what the Firelord is forcing us to do. You have to believe me when I say that all I want is for them to forget about me so they won't come looking for me and take me back to that horrible horrible place. But if you don't believe me, then I accept my fate." She said closing her eyes and resting peacefully on the hollow's wooden floor. "Call the druids." She said.

Arrin finally sighed and lowered his head. He dropped the stick he was holding in his talons and placed his foot back on the ground. "Look, I want to believe you, but the Firelord has taken much from me. I'm going to need more than just your word to know that your intentions are well-meaning."

Alla-Stissa's front paws, which had been tucked close to her chest since they started talking, opened up and she pushed forward a field mouse, much like the one that had escaped from Arrin before.

Arrin looked down at the mouse at his feet. Burnt claw marks and scorched fur marked its head but otherwise it was still perfectly intact. He looked back up to Alla-Stissa and tilted his head.

"I was going to eat it later but perhaps it's best you have it. I don't suppose I'll be around much longer to enjoy it anyway." She said, still attempting to offer him a gentle friendly smile, but could only manage half of one.

Arrin looked down to the ground, a soft sigh escaped his beak as he rubbed his forehead with his left wing. He was faced with quite the dilemma. He couldn't help but feel he owed her a debt for saving his life, but at the same time, he didn't like the idea of a flaming cat occupying his tree.

"Look... I'm not going to turn you in alright?" He said taking one step closer to her. "But what would you have me do now? How long until someone eventually finds out you're here?" Arrin questioned, nervously pacing back and forth, his talons clacking against the wooden hollow floor with each step.

"I don't know..." She said with a troubled tone of voice. "I don't want to go back to the Firelands... I want to stay here! One place wants me, but I do not want it, the other I want but it doesn't want me. I'm just tired of the violence. All I want is to live a life of peace..." She said, rolling over onto her other side.

Arrin gazed over her, his initial suspicion was now turning into genuine sympathy for her. When she rolled over, he noticed a large wound that scarred her left side. "You're hurt." He said, recognizing the wound from when she was attacked earlier in the day.

Alla-Stissa perked her head up to look at her side. "It's getting better. Nothing to worry about."

Arrin approached her gently, only a faint amount of nervousness in each step. He placed his feathery wing over her wounded side. For a moment she recoiled in pain but quickly calmed down once her pelt had gotten used to his touch. "This is why you decided to hide out here?" He asked.

"It was just getting too hard to walk. I had to find a place to rest and heal. I suppose I'll have to keep looking." She said.

Arrin lowered his head and placed one wing over his face. _"I know I'm going to regret this..."_ He thought to himself quietly. "You don't have to leave. You can stay here..." He said, with a slight groan in his voice as his desire for peace and solitude clashed with his conscience, the latter of the two winning in this scenario.

Alla-Stissa's head quickly perked up, her brows raised. She rolled over onto her original side and looked him in the eyes. "You mean it!?" She said happily, her face lighting up. "You won't report me to the druids?"

Arrin took a deep sigh once again. "No, Alla-Stissa... I won't tell anyone you're here..." He said, still grumbling.

"Oh thank you, thank you! Thank you so much!" She said before lunging forward, grabbing a hold of him, and hugging him close to her chest and happily nuzzling his head with her own. She then gave a friendly lick to his feathery cheek. Her body temperature was lowered to the point where she would cause him no harm but her skin and tongue were still warm to the touch. "You don't have to call me Alla-Stissa, call me Allie! All my friends call me Allie!" She said with delight.

Arrin was taken back by her gesture, his face wrinkled with disgust and discomfort. He pushed his wings against her chest, fighting back until she let him go.

"Okay 'Allie'...time for some ground rules." He said with his feathery eyebrows lowered in his usual grumpy facial expression. "No hugging, no cuddling, and definitely no licking." He said, pointing the tip of his wing at her in a scolding manner. "Are we clear?" He said.

Allie sat up straight and proper with her paws tucked gently and neatly in front of her as she attempted to play along with his scolding. "Yes of course." She said, trying to imitate his grumpy snooty tone of voice. "My apologies, sir. What I meant to say was; I am most appreciative of your generous extension." She said, teasing him and trying to be funny at the same time.

Arrin kept his eyebrows lowered and placed his wing over his face once again. "This is going to be a long day..."


	2. Chapter 2: Of Feather and Flame

Arrin had been hard at work for a few hours trying to gather enough leaves, twigs, and branches to cover the entrance to his hallow so nobody could see inside, otherwise Allie's bright flaming pelt glowing in the middle of the night would surely attract unwanted attention. After finishing his task he finally settled down on the other side of the hollow, opposite to where she was lying and attempted to get some sleep. He tucked his wings closely and firmly to his sides, burrowed his beak into his warm fluffy chest, and closed his eyes. Since Arrin had grown so accustomed to living in peaceful quiet solitude, he always helped himself fall asleep by listening to the sounds of nature, taking note of what he heard until he slipped into a deep slumber.

A faint wind rustled the leaves outside the hollow, causing the branches to creak ever so slightly. A rhythmic chirping of a cricket played at regular intervals. A soft splash of water from a thrashing fish in the nearby creek. Arrin's focus was soon interrupted by Allie, who was still awake and playing with an acorn in her paws.

"I thought Owls didn't sleep at night?" She asked.

Arrin popped one eye open and raised his beak from his chest for a brief moment. "Not all Owls are nocturnal. Hyjal Owls like myself sleep at night just like you." He said before closing his eye and tucking his beak back into his chest.

After letting out a soft sigh he went back to focusing on what he could hear. Flames from Allie's hide crackled softly, just like that of a campfire. In the distance, a wolf howled, it's voice echoed deeply through the forest.

"How do Owls chew their food if they don't have any teeth?" She asked as she gently tossed the acorn up into the air, caught it, and repeated the motion several times over.

Arrin popped an eye open once more, a soft grumble escaping his lips. "We don't chew...we eat our prey whole, if it's too big we cut into smaller pieces..." He responded before closing his eyes and lowering his head again.

Outside the hollow, a quiet snapping of twigs underfoot from a small creature could be heard as it passed by the tree. A brief series of chirps from a bird rang out. A pebble rolled off a nearby boulder and into the creek, making a gentle splash.

Allie, still bored, continued to prod him. "How do you sleep standing up like that? How come you don't fall over?" She said, looking over at his straight sleeping pose.

Arrin opened his eye again, frustration now starting to swell within him as he grew more and more irritated with her constant questions. "Look at my feet!" He said, drawing her attention downward. His toes firmly gripped the wood beneath him, his talons digging into the floor with a tight grasp that kept him upright. "I'm not going to fall over! I can keep myself upright for as long as I want!" He answered.

For the third time, he buried his beak back into his chest and closed his eyes, his eyebrows still lowered in a bitter fashion. He began to focus once more but before he could even begin to think she spoke up again.

"Do you have a family?" She asked, still tossing the acorn.

Arrin opened both eyes and let out a vocal caw in annoyance. "For heaven's sake, Allie! I'll never get a moment's rest with your constant chattering! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?!" He said, his head pointed toward her, his eyes beaming.

Allie moved her head back in surprise and dropped her acorn onto the hollow's floor. "Woah there, Mr. Grumpyfeathers!" She teased with a harmless chuckle. "I'm just trying to make conversation."

Arrin's eyes scanned her from head to foot, sizing her up. "If you want to have conversation, wait until the morning for goodness sake!" He grumbled, her teasing nickname for him seeming to only aggravate him further. "And no, I don't have a family. Does it look like a family of Owls live here?" He said rhetorically before stuffing his beak back into his feathers.

"So no brothers or sisters?" She asked.

Arrin smacked his face with his wing, as he was fed up with her by now. "Allie." He said sternly. "Go. To. Sleep." He said. "No more talking for the rest of the night. Zip it! Understand?"

Allie sighed and shrugged. "Fine..." She said before rolling over onto her side, disappointed.

Now that he finally got her to be quiet, Arrin tucked his beak into his chest for the last time and closed his eyes for good.

* * *

It was now just slightly past midnight. Arrin and Allie were both sound asleep. Arrin was deep into a pleasant dream. In his dream, the air around him was just the perfect temperature. Normally he was always picky about the temperature, always preferring one exact temperature, not too warm and not too cold. It was a very beautiful day but most important of all, it was quiet and calm, just the way he liked it. At one moment, the sun found just the right spot to break through the tree line and shine right down on his feathery chest, warming him right up. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the silence in the air and the warmth of the sun.

Something interrupted the silence, a faint mumbling. He opened his eyes to look around and see what it was but he couldn't see anything. Before he could look again, there was another loud mumble, this time it was loud enough to visibly bother him.

"Now where in the name of Aviana is that accursed sound coming from?" He grumbled angrily.

A third loud mumble rang again, this time loud enough to awake him from his slumber.

Arrin opened his eyes to see he was back in his hollow and it was still dark. He looked over towards Allie but as he did, he immediately had to shield his eyes with his wing as the light coming off from her fiery pelt hurt his eyes which had not yet adjusted.

Allie was mumbling in her sleep, occasionally talking vocally. She rolled over back and forth constantly as she appeared to be dreaming. She rolled over into the middle of the room, sprawled out on her back. Arrin lowered his eyebrows and glared at her with frustration.

"She talks so much she even does it in her sleep! For crying out loud!" He thought to himself as he turned his back to her to shield himself from her light. Before he could go back to sleep, Allie's foot knocked him over, causing him to fall onto his belly.

As he rolled over onto his back to stand up, she kicked her legs in her sleep, pushing him up against the wall with her paw. Arrin was now sandwiched between the hollow's wall and her foot. He placed his wings around her paw and pushed as hard as he could to move her leg but only ended up making it worse. She kicked again in her sleep, this time pushing his head up against the wall, his face buried into the bottom of her paw. He quickly pecked her foot with his beak, causing it to twitch and let him go.

He stood up and brushed himself off, disgusted at the thought of her dirty paws staining his coat. "Enough!" He said walking over towards her. "Wake up!" He said pushing her with his wings trying to get her to wake up.

Allie stirred uneasily in her sleep and started to speak up. "No...no...no...get away from me." She mumbled. "Stop!" She said.

Arrin suddenly felt her pelt getting hot, he quickly removed his wings from her body as the painful heat started to radiate onto his wings. "Woah!" He said, recoiling quickly.

"Allie!" Arrin said, growing concerned.

"I said get away!" Allie roared, releasing a violent volley of flaming sparks from her pelt. The sparks shot off her pelt in every direction, some of them almost hitting Arrin. The heat from her skin started to sizzle. The sparks from her pelt started to catch fire inside the hollow. One ember landed on Arrin's wing, causing it to start smoking until eventually his wing caught on fire.

"Ahhhh!" Arrin cried, a panicked screech escaped from his beak which was loud enough to rouse Allie from her sleep. "Oh my God!" Arrin shouted as everything around him was catching on fire.

"I'm so sorry!" Allie said as she quickly spun around in a circle, all the flames in the hollow and on Arrin's feathers left and returned to Allie's pelt as she quickly put out the flames. "I'm so so sorry!" She repeated.

Arrin was brimming with fury by this point. "ALLIE!" He screeched at the top of his lungs, fury dripping in his voice.

* * *

It was now morning and Arrin was sitting perched ontop of a branch of a tree not far from his hollow. He looked over his left wing, eyeing a burnt patch of feathers caused from Allie's nightmare.

"My beautiful feathers..." Arrin said softly as he rubbed the now hardened and crisp blemish on his otherwise perfect brown and white coat. Arrin, being the snobby Owl that he was, always took pride in his appearance which he considered to be perfect.

"It will take forever to grow back!" He complained, still rubbing the charred spot.

Suddenly he heard the familiar sound of flames crackling and immediately his face turned into a scowl. Allie was now sitting below the tree, looking up at him. Arrin turned his back to her and looked forward, ignoring her.

"I'm so sorry, Arrin. I truly am!" She pleaded with him.

Arrin refused to look down at her. He stayed perked up on his branch, grumbling under his breath inaudibly.

Allie looked down to the ground with a disappointed look on her face. She lifted up one of her front paws and saw that the grass under feet was charred and withering away. "I destroy everything I touch... I almost destroyed your home too..." She said sadly. "Maybe I don't belong here after all..."

Arrin let out a long drawn out sigh and turned around on his branch. He lowered his head to look down at her. "What is the plan, Allie?" He asked, causing her to look back up at him. "What are we even doing? How long do you think we can keep this up before someone knows you're here? I know you do not wish to return to the Firelands but what kind of life is this? Do you really want to hide in shame of who you are for the rest of your life, always living in fear that anyone and everyone around you thinks you are a monster and wishes you ill?" He inquired.

"I don't know..." Allie said, her voice fainting. "I'm not a monster! I don't want you to think I am one. If it wasn't for you taking me in I'd probably be dead by now. Please don't hate me... you're the only one who has ever given me a chance."

"Allie..." Arrin said. He was conflicted on the inside. He still wasn't sure about how he felt about her, but his conscious still insisted that he show her kindness. "I don't hate you and I don't think you are a monster. I do think you need to learn to better control your powers. You are born of fire, yet you seek to live in the woods. One misstep and all that is beautiful and alive will wither."

"I know I know...you're right." Allie said. "I'll try harder to control my power, but I can't do it alone, I need you." She insisted.

Arrin tilted his head to the side. "What do you need me for? I'm just an ordinary Owl."

"You know the forests better than I do. You know where I can go, where I can find food and drink. You know how I can avoid the Druids." She reasoned. "My life is in your hands..." She said, before thinking for a moment. "Err... not hands... uh...Wings? Feet? Whatever... you know what I mean!"

Arrin sighed once more and started rubbing his forehead with his wing. He always hated having responsibility to anything or anyone, though her pleas for help couldn't help but chip away at his conscience. Before he could respond to her, a loud voice suddenly rang through the forest.

"Help! Somebody! Help me!" A distance voiced cried.

Both Arrin and Allie perked their heads up, ears pointed in the direction the sound came from.

"Someone is in trouble! We have to help them!" Allie said before taking off in the direction the plea came from.

"No-Allie... Allie! Stop!" Arrin said before flapping his wings and taking flight after her. "You'll get caught!" He shouted but she wouldn't stop.

The two of them stopped when they reached a tall oak tree. A small deer had managed to get itself caught in a hunter's trap. It was tangled up in a rope trap and was now dangling from a branch high up in the tree. It was a small white tailed doe, scared and alone. She struggled in vain to free herself but when she spotted Allie approaching the tree she started to shake nervously.

"Ohh... oh no, please... s...s-stay back!" The doe said, frightened.

Arrin finally arrived on the scene, he stayed in the air, looking over the situation. He then flew over to the net in the tree, locking his toes into the net so he could hold onto it. He looked into the net at the deer and tried to calm her. "Relax, you're going to be fine." Arrin said.

"No! No we're not!" The doe said, squirming around inside the net. "L-look!" She said, looking down at Allie, who was pacing back and forth nervously.

Arrin looked down at Allie and then back up. "She's friendly. She's with me. We're going to get you out of here." He said before lowering his beak to the net, he started picking at it, trying to cut her down.

"Friendly? That... that thing?" She exclaimed.

"I promise I'm not here to kill you. I want to help!" Allie said, but her reasoning did little to calm the creature's nerves.

While Arrin picked through the net, he tried talking with the doe to calm her down. "What's your name?" He asked.

"I... I... A...A-Abbie..." She said, still shaking nervously.

Arrin nodded. "Alright Abbie. I'm Arrin. If I'm going to get you out of here, I'm going to need you to hold still. Can you do that for me?" He asked, looking her in the eyes.

While the two of them were talking, Allie's ear perked, her senses heightened. She heard a nearby twig snap. She focused, tuning out any sounds except for anything unusual. She heard leaves crunching, a sudden rustling of bush leaves. She turned around, her eyes darted to where her senses led her but she couldn't find what was making the noise.

A Human Hunter hid in the bushes, his clothing camouflaged him with his surroundings. The Hunter slowly drew an arrow from his quiver. He notched the arrow on his bow and took aim, slowly pulling the string back, aiming for the doe in the trap. The wooden bow he held creaked every so slightly from being bent. It was this creaking of wood that helped Allie spot where the noises were coming from. She looked forward, he eyes locked on a hunter who was about to open fire.

"No!" She shouted before running as fast as she could to intercept him. Her feet left a trail of blazing pawprints in the grass and leaves in her wake. She didn't have enough time to pounce on the hunter so instead she leaped into the air just as the hunter let go of his string.

The arrow soared forth from his bow, it's aim was true. Before the deadly arrow could find its mark, Allie leaped into the path of the arrow, taking it right to the shoulder. She growled loudly, letting off a fierce feline yowl of pain before crashing to the ground with a thud.

Allie's roar of pain drew Arrin's attention. He turned his head all the way around as Owls typically do. He spotted Allie with an arrow in her side as she fell to the ground in pain. A surprised gasp escaped from his beak.

Allie groaned and stood up, locking her fiery eyes onto the Hunter. She then darted in his direction.

The Hunter notched another arrow on his bow, this time taking aim at the fire cat coming right for him. He pulled the string back but before he could release it, Allie lept into the air, swiping her paw sideways, knocking his aim off and causing his second arrow to fly off into the distance. She jumped on him, her paws gripping his shoulders.

The human drew a hunting knife from his right side pocket with his left hand and drew it in a slashing matter, cutting Allie's belly. He then sunk the knife into her shoulder near the site where the arrow had struck her.

She groaned again in pain, he mouth wide open as she roared. She then chomped down on his hand that he was stabbing her with, her fiery fangs sinking into his flesh, causing him to let go of his knife. She then sunk her teeth into his shoulder, causing him to recoil in pain, lose his balance, and fall over onto his back with her on top of him.

He reached for his knife and pulled it out of her, attempting to stab her again but Allie pinned his limbs down with her paws. The two of them looked into each other's eyes.

Allie growled, her body starting to heat up. The Hunter suddenly felt a hot sensation on his wrists and ankles as her paws started to heat up.

The Arrow in Allie's side caught fire as her body started to glow with hot flames until eventually the arrow turned into dust, leaving only a small hole in her shoulder from which hot molten blood flowed. The Human was terrified, his skin starting to sizzle as she burned him with her fiery paws.

Allie, having made a commitment to never kill again, let go of him and then roared as loud as she could in his face, frightening him enough for him to immediately get up and run in the opposite direction as fast as he could.

With the fight over, Allie sighed, exhausted. Her shoulder continued to ooze fiery blood which ran down her shoulder and leg and onto the forest floor, where it charred the dead leaves on the ground.

Arrin couldn't believe his eyes. His beak was still wide open in disbelief. Abbie also was at a loss for words. Allie walked back under the tree and laid down on her belly, resting. "Can you cut her down?" Allie asked, her mind focused on nothing else but helping the doe escape.

Arrin looked back to the net and started pulling at it with his beak. "Alright..." Arrin said, composing himself and focusing on the task at hand.

After about ten minutes of pulling on the net with his beak, he let out an exhausted sigh. "This is going to take forever..." He said, realizing it would take him several hours to chew through the net strand by strand at this rate.

"Arrin." Allie said from below the tree.

"What?" He responded, looking down at her.

She smiled widely at him. "Teamwork." She suggested.

Arrin looked back to the net, scanning it from top to bottom as he started to think. "Teamwork..." He said to himself. He looked up to where the net was tied around the branch. "Of course!" He said before climbing up the net, using his talons to hold onto it. He reached the top where the net was tied around the tree branch.

"You ready down below?" Arrin asked.

Allie nodded. "Ready!"

Arrin nodded and started pulling at the net's strands for a few moments until eventually it snapped. Abbie fell from the tree towards the ground. She let out a panicked gasp as she plummeted toward the forest floor.

Allie positioned herself right under the net, catching Abbie with her back. "Gotcha!" Allie said, having successfully saved her from the fall. Allie then lowered Abbie down to the forest floor gently. Her molten claws unsheathed from her toes on her front paws. She then placed her paws on the net and sliced, her fiery nails cutting through the rope with ease.

In one swift motion, Abbie was freed from her net. Immediately after, Abbie stood up and backed up slightly, facing Allie.

Arrin glided downwards until he perched himself on top of a boulder. He then tucked his wings to his side and looked over at Allie. "That was a very brave thing you did." He said, admiring her courage. "Are you hurt?" He asked.

Allie shrugged. "I've had worse. I'm fine for now."

Arrin looked Allie over, regarding her with respect for the first time since he met her. No longer did he harbor any suspicion about her. He looked over at Abbie. "I told you she was friendly."

"Y...you know her?" Abbie asked.

Arrin nodded. "She's..." He stuttered, his eyes darting over to Allie for a moment, his tongue twisted. He then looked back at Abbie. "She's a ...friend of mine." he said, the words bittersweet in his mouth as he didn't like to use the word 'friend' since he never had any friends before.

Allie's face lightened up with a warm smile as she looked over at Arrin, happy to hear him call her a friend. Her heart was touched.

Arrin sighed uncomfortably and tried to move on with the conversation. "Now I need your help." Arrin said to Abbie. "We need a place for Allie to stay, my hollow is...to put it mildly...not the right place for her to hide out in." He said.

"Oh..." Abbie said, for once she didn't appear nervous. "Well... there's a cave about a mile from here at the base of Aviana's peak. No bears have occupied it as of late as far as I know. I can take you there if you'd like? It's the least I can do to repay you two for saving me."

Arrin nodded gratefully. "That would be splendid." He said, bowing to her.

Abbie looked at the two of them, a smile forming on her face for the first time. "Alright then. Follow me." She said turning around to take off.

Allie looked over at Arrin who was about to take flight. "Hey." Allie said to him.

Arrin turned his attention over to Allie, his wings still lifted as if he was about to take flight. "What?" he responded.

"Ride on my shoulder." Allie said with a smile. "Come on it will be fun!"

"No way." Arrin said, finding the prospect humiliating.

"Come on!" Allie insisted. "You'll be like my little fluffy companion!"

"I said No." Arrin responded sternly.

* * *

A few minutes later Abbie called back to the two of them. "Keep up! We still have a ways to go."

Arrin was riding on Allie's shoulder. Allie trotted victoriously, a happy smile on her face. Arrin was grumbling under his breath, his eyebrows lowered. Riding on her shoulder was quite humiliating.

"See!" Allie said happily. "You're my little feathery buddy!" She said.

Arrin rolled his eyes. "That's not the exact terminology I would use...but I suppose that isn't an entirely inaccurate assessment of our relationship."

"Oh blah blah blah! You and your big words, Mr. Grumpyfeathers." Allie teased.

Arrin sighed. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"

Allie shook her head. "Afraid not." She said happily.

Arrin lowered his head. "Great..."

The three of them continued onward as Allie started whistling a merry tune.


	3. Chapter 3: The Prisoner

Arrin, Allie, and Abbie, continued their journey onward toward the cave Abbie had mentioned earlier. Fortunately, they were able to avoid Druid patrols and remain hidden for the most part. It was now just slightly after noon, the sun still at it's peak in the sky. The weather couldn't be more perfect and enjoyable, although that wasn't enough to stop Arrin from occasionally grumbling under his breath from boredom.

Allie looked up to Arrin, who was still riding in her shoulder. "Hey, you know what I just realized?"

Arrin moved his eyes downward at her. "What?"

"All of our names start with an 'A'! We're the A-Team!" Allie said with an excited tone of voice.

Arrin huffed. "I'd hardly consider this a team..."

Allie tilted her head as she trotted on behind Abbie. "Why not?" She asked.

"We owe you a debt, Allie. We're just trying to find you a home so you don't have to go back to the Firelands. Maybe some time in the future, an opportunity will present itself for us to prove your goodwill to the druids, atleast enough for them to let you stay here." He said.

"Any Ideas as to where we can start looking for that opportunity?" She asked.

He shrugged his wings. "Beats me. There isn't really a plan with this group, we're sort of just winging it."

She chuckled happily. "Haha! That was funny! Good joke!"

He perked an eyebrow. "What joke?"

Allie's smile disappeared and she appeared confused. "You mean... you weren't trying to be funny?" She asked.

"What was funny about what I said?" He responded.

"You said winging it-... never mind..." She said with a sigh, turning to look forward. She picked up her pace until she was walking side by side with Abbie.

"Hey Abbie!" Allie said happily, looking up at her to try and get her attention.

Abbie looked down at Allie, a small smile forming on her lips. "Hello." She responded as she trotted on, her hooves making a clacking sound as they passed over some rocky terrain.

"So tell me a little bit about yourself!" Allie said.

"Well..." Abbie said, thinking for a moment. "I'm six years old... I'm a deer... and uhh..." She said, pausing briefly. "Uhh...well... that's about it." She said, coming up short on description as she started to realize that perhaps her life wasn't all that interesting, a concept that never entered her mind until she really started to think about it.

"I have to apologize, I haven't really led an exciting life. But you on the other hand, you must have a lot of stories to tell!" Abbie said with an interested tone of voice. "You're made of fire! How does that work? Do you feel hot?"

Arrin, who could literally not be any more disinterested than he already was, kept his gaze forward, his eyes squinted and head lowered in boredom as he kept quiet aside from the occasional mumble.

"I don't really know what hot feels like... I've just been like this since I was born. I've been cold before, and it was the worst feeling i've ever felt." Allie responded.

Abbie nodded, occasionally looking forward to see where she was going. "Well, you'll forgive my curiosity, but I've never seen a flaming cat before, not to mention one who is on the side of nature. Why do you care so much for forest animals?" She asked.

Allie looked down with disappointment. "I'm not exactly happy about my past. Since I was born, I, like the rest of my kind, were forced into unwilling service to the Firelord. It pains me to admit that I have killed before and I have burned forests down, but that wasn't me. I was just doing what I was told. Since then I've managed to escape the Firelands after faking my own death. Now I've made a commitment to never kill again, instead only saving. I have to make amends for all the lives I've taken." She said.

Allie continued her story. "I need to prove my worthiness to the Druids, but before I can confront them I need to perform enough good deeds to build my case for my staying here. I hope you believe me when I say that I have a lot of respect for nature. I wish there was a way I could free myself from this fiery existence of mine, but since I can't, I'll have to use my powers for good to show the Druids I am on their side. That means never killing and never burning anything again."

Abbie smiled warmly. "I've believed you ever since you took an arrow for me." She said gratefully. "I admire your commitment to never burning anything again and I will help you in whatever way I can to avoid the Druids until you're ready to confront them." She reassured.

Allie nodded. "I appreciate that. Thank you."

Abbie nodded back. "But we're going to have to do something about your feet." She said concerned.

Allie perked a curious brow. "My feet? What do you mean?"

Abbie gestured with her head, motioning behind them. The three of them looking backwards, seeing a trail of burnt grass and leaves in the wake of Allie's footsteps."

Arrin turned his head to Abbie. "She's struggling with controlling her powers." He stated. "It's a work in progress."

"Oh?" Abbie inquired.

"Yeah..." Allie responded. "Until I left the Firelands there was never any need for me to learn to control my powers since there was nothing for me to burn because...well...it's the Firelands. Everything is on fire there. I can control my heat to a certain extent, but it is difficult." She noted. "I accidentally set Arrin's tree on fire."

"Please don't remind me..." Arrin groaned. Despite only being gone from his home for a short while, he was already starting to feel homesick.

Abbie appeared deep in thought. She bit her lip slightly."Well if we're trying to stay unnoticed by the Druids until we're ready to face them, I don't think leaving behind a trail of fiery footprints is wise..." She remarked.

"We're still working on that." Arrin remarked, trying to think of what they could do to stop her trail of fire.

Abbie hummed as she thought to herself. "Have you tried wrapping your feet with leaves or treebark?"

Allie shrugged. "Wouldn't do any good I suppose. It would just burn right off. My paws aren't hot when I'm not using them, but when I'm walking or standing, I can't control their heat. All my body weight and temperature is on my feet when I'm standing on them."

"Guys." Arrin said, holding out a wing. "Stop for a second." He ordered.

"What's wrong, Arrin?" Abbie asked as she and Allie stopped in their tracks.

Arrin pointed forward with his wing. Up ahead was a Twilight's Hammer flag. On the flag was the spiked purple hammer of the Twilight cult, the evil group ran by the insidious Ogre Magi, Cho'gall. "We should find a way around...It would be wise to stay as far away from here as-"

"Twilight's Hammer? Here? So far north?" Allie interrupted.

"You know of them?" Abbie asked.

Allie nodded. "Of course. They're allies with the Firelord. Their cultists visited the Firelands almost daily back when I lived there. Their base of operations is usually in southern Hyjal... what could they be up here for?" She wondered.

Arrin ruffled his feathers uncomfortably. A chill traveling up his mind as he pondered about the cultists. "I don't know and I don't want to find out... Come on, Allie let's get out of here." He insisted.

Allie shook her head. "They wouldn't be up here unless it was only temporary. They're here for something... or someone..." She assumed.

"Well that's none of our concern." Arrin said.

Allie turned her head to look at Arrin on her shoulder. "I need you to do me a favor."

Arrin sighed. "Oh for heaven's sake..." He said, not liking where this was going.

"I need you to fly up above, get a good look at what's going on over there." Allie said. When she saw him sighing and shaking his head she pleaded with him. "Please Arrin. I have to know. Maybe there's something in the camp that can help our cause?" She reasoned.

"Fine." Arrin said reluctantly as he untucked his wings from his side.

* * *

As he was soaring overhead, Arrin closed his eyes in a relaxed manner as he enjoyed the wind on his face, but more importantly the silence. "Finally...some peace and quiet." He thought to himself as this was the first time in quite a while where he got to be alone. For a moment he almost forgot about the mission he was on. He quickly turned back around after realizing he had passed the Twilight Camp. Once he had returned, he gave the place a quick lookover. It was a basic camp with a few tents and a few crude barricades, a visibly simple camp made hastily out of necessity.

What struck him as most interesting was a dark void prison in the center of their camp. A large purple-colored cube-shaped void prison was floating in the air. Supporting it were four beams of dark energy channeled by four cultists who surrounded the prison. Whatever was inside the prison was powerful enough to grab the cultists attention. He didn't know for sure, but Arrin suspected the cultists of trying to either contain or empower whatever creature was inside, either way, they were up to no good for sure.

When Arrin returned back to the group, he came to a gentle descent until he landed on a boulder that Allie and Abbie were gathered around.

"Well?" Allie said. "What did you see?"

Arrin shook his head. "I don't know... some sort of dark ritual. They have something imprisoned in the center of camp, something powerful I think."

"I'll be back." Allie said as she rose to her feet and prepared to take off.

"Woah woah woah!" Arrin said, turning his head to face her. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"To free whatever inside that prison." She responded, stopping in her tracks to look back at him. She waited patiently for whatever he had to say as the grass started sizzling beneath her.

"Despite the stupidity of trying to fight cultists by yourself, what makes you think that whatever is inside that box doesn't immediately want to flay us inside out?"

Allie giggled. "You worry too much. I can take care of myself, Mr. Grumpyfeathers. Besides, I'm still technically a minion of Ragnaros for all they know. They won't attack a 'servant' of their greatest ally."

"You don't worry enough." Arrin insisted. "Whatever they have captured there, it's powerful enough to require four of them to constantly restrain it. Isn't that fact alone enough to give you pause?" He insisted.

Abbie nodded in agreement with Arrin. "Allie, I don't think this is a good idea. Maybe we should just keep a low profile." She said, her head tilted slightly to the side. "I don't think looking for trouble is the best way to help us stay hidden."

Allie shrugged. "Maybe. But I have a good feeling about this. You stay here." She insisted before walking off, not listening to another word.

Arrin smacked his forehead with his wing again in frustration. Abbie, realizing they would probably be here for a while, laid down on the forest floor, tucking her hooves into her sides. "Is she usually like this?" She asked.

Arrin looked up to the sky and rolled his eyes. "You have no idea..." He complained. "Of all the people to owe a debt to, it just had to be her..." He said with a groan.

* * *

When Allie strolled into the Twilight's Hammer camp, there were a total of five cultists. Four of them were channeling their magic into the prison while the fifth, an Overseer, kept an eye on their progress. The Overseer noticed the fire cat approaching their camp and folded his arms. "What do you want?" He asked.

"I am Alla-Stissa, messenger for Ragnaros. He wants an update on your progress." Allie, said, taking a more serious tone in order to be more convincing.

The Overseer huffed and turned his gaze the prison on his right. "Powerful creature in there we've locked up. Only a matter of time until we have it drained of it's power."

"What's inside?" Allie asked, curiously.

"An ancient and powerful force of nature..." The Overseer said as he gestured to the floating box. "A legendary servant of Aessina for many years... the legends say that long ago, he singlehandedly defeated Cho'gall in a violent one on one duel that lasted many hours. The power of this creature will be ours, and In a cruel twist of irony, Cho'gall will receive the power of his old foe and use it to bring Hyjal to it's knees!" He said confidently.

Allie nodded her head and smiled. "Wow! That is impressive!" She said with visible surprise. She turned toward the Overseer. "I appreciate you showing me this." She said before lowering her head in respect. She then charged forward with all her might, slamming the Overseer against the void prison so hard it knocked him out cold.

Arrin, who was watching from the bushes along with Abbie, placed both of his wings over his head in shock. "Oh my god! What is she doing? Has she gone mad?!" He said in a panic.

The other four cultists, stopped their channeling, causing the void prison to drop out of the air and land on the metal alter below with a loud clank. Each of their hands began to glow with a different element; Ice, fire, shadow, and lightning.

The lightning cultist waved his hands back and forth in the air, gathering electricity at his fingertips. He then unleashed a forked blast of lightning at Allie while the other cultists charged up their spells.

Allie, being fleet of foot, rapidly dodged from side to side, evading the attacks thrown at her. A fiery vortex started swirling around her, acting as a sort of spell shield. The other cultists hurled their spells at her, but each of them were deflected by Allie's vortex.

With her eyes glowing bright with the power of fire, Allie, expanded her vortex, causing it to spread out in an attempt to burn the other cultists.

The Shadow cultist extended his arms outright and clapped his hands together, creating a shield of shadowy magic that protected his allies. He then stomped with all his might, causing a fissure to travel towards Allie, splitting the earth as it traveled.

Allie looked down to see the earth beneath her feet splitting in two. She attempted to step back but at the last second, the fissure started glowing a dark purple before it erupted in a shadowy explosion, sending Allie hurling back until she collided against a stack of wooden supply crates where she fell to the ground with a thud.

The Fire Cultist put her hands together at her chest, powering up a devastating fireball to finish Allie off with. Before she could finish the spell, suddenly Arrin swooped down, his talons extended outward. He latched onto the shoulder of the Fire Cultist, knocking her aim off. The Fire Cultist's fireball shot off in a random direction, exploding somewhere deep in the forest.

The Shadow Cultist turned his gaze towards Arrin and was preparing to help his ally when all of a sudden he was knocked over flat onto his stomach. Behind him, was Allie, standing triumphantly as she tried to help her new friends.

Allie looked up to see her team lending her aid. She attempted to stand up but was blasted with a frigid wind from the Ice Cultist. The frost attack dramatically weakened Allie, causing the flames on her pelt to die down to just a small flicker. Allie opened her mouth to breath fire, but could only manage to unleash a few sparks. Frost, her greatest weakness, rendered her almost entirely without power.

As Arrin and Abbie dealt with the Fire and Shadow cultists, the Ice Cultist advanced upon Allie, blasting her again with a frigid wind. By now, Allie was weak, cold traveled up every muscle in her body, chilling her to the bone which for a fire cat like herself, was a devastating attack.

The Lightning Cultist extended his hand forth, electric tendrils shooting out of his palm. He managed to grab Arrin by the neck and throw him to the side. Arrin landed on the ground with a loud thud. The Shadow Cultist turned around and shifted the ground underneath Abbie, tripping her up. He then started to weave a binding around her, detaining her entirely.

Allie watched helplessly as she and her friends were slowly losing the fight. The Shadow Cultist drew a knife from his pocket and raised it above Abbie, preparing to sink it into her heart. He was interrupted however when the prison box started to rattle back and forth. It started to change color from purple to glowing green. The four cultists immediately dropped what they were doing to try and contain the prison, leaving Abbie, Arrin, and Allie alone.

"We have to contain it!" The Lightning cultist said. However, there efforts were too late. Suddenly the box shattered in a violent explosion, sending all four of the cultists hurling back with such force that they were immediately knocked out cold when they landed on the ground. A blinding bright light flashed from the box, causing Arrin, Allie, and Abbie to shield their eyes.

"I'm... I'm free!" A voice range out. "The Twilight's Hammer will soon feel the wrath of-" The voice was interrupted by a cracking sound. "-Oh! My back!" The voice said.

The three of them unshielded their eyes and looked up to see an old treant. He was about the same height as Abbie, his bark skin seemed to have lost some of it's color from age. He had a beard made entirely of autumn-colored leaves that stretched from cheek to cheek and hung down low to his belly. In one hand, he had a long wooden stick that he used as a cane to help him walk. He had several branches sticking out of his head, some of which still had red and yellow leaves growing on them. He stood on top of several elongated root tendrils, which served as a means for transportation. The most curious feature about him was a monocle on his right eye, a circular piece of glass with a wooden frame that appeared to be elven-crafted.

By now, the three had already gotten off the ground and were now sitting at the base of the prison, looking up at the old treant.

The treant let out a loud cough as he rubbed his sore back and grumbled angrily. He then looked up to see Allie along with two other forest animals staring at him. "You!" He said pointing to Allie. "I felt your presence when the overseer lost his power. You saved my life!" He declared, his voice sounding like that of a typical old man, a slight creak rang in his voice from old bark bending and gnarling as he talked.

Arrin, who was now perched on top of Allie's shoulder, lowered his eyebrows. "I was expecting a lot of things but not an old tree."

"Eh?" The treant said. "Who said that!" He shouted angrily.

Arrin raised a wing. "Me."

The treant casted his gaze over to Arrin and scowled. "Who are you calling old you yellow-bellied, big beaked, feathery blockhead!" He shouted angrily. He started walking slowly towards the group, tapping his cane on the ground as he walked.

Arrin rolled his eyes. "Oh I have a feeling we're going to get along great..." He said sarcastically.

"Uh, sir." Allie said softly, looking up at the treant, but he didn't respond. "Um... sir?" She said a bit louder.

The treant looked down at her. "Speak up lass! My hearing isn't what it used to be!" He shouted, spraying a bit of spittle onto both her and Arrin, which caused Arrin to recoil in disgust. He turned his head, pointing his good ear at Allie so he could hear her better.

"Do you have a name?" Allie asked, raising her voice.

"Hmph...the local hooligans of the forest call me Old Man Witherbark! But you can just call me Mr. Witherbark!" He said as he adjusted his monocle to eye her over. Once he adjusted his monocle he sized her up. "A fire cat? Of the Firelands?" He said as he stared at her, both of his hands on top of his cane. "What an odd creature to be saved by, odd indeed!"

"I'm Allie." She stated. "I've switched sides. I want to fight on the side of nature. These are my friends, other creatures I have rescued." She said as she started to introduce them. "This is Arrin, my bestest friend in the whole wide world!" She said smiling at him, but Arrin simply grumbled and ruffled his feathers. "And this is Abbie, the most delightful and friendly deer I have ever met!"

Abbie bowed courteously. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Witherbark."

Mr. Witherbark eyed them both over, gazing at them with an enhanced view through his monocle. "You have my gratitude, young forest creatures!" He said with a half bow as his back was still sore. "As for you, you fiery feline, I owe you my life for saving me from those wicked sorcerers! I will follow you until my debt to you is repaid in full. Say... what brings you out here anyway?"

Abbie spoke up. "We're trying to rally enough creatures to Allie's aid to vouch for her so the Druids will let her stay. Currently we're on the run from them until we find a way to prove her innocence so they won't kill her on the spot. We could use a powerful ally like you." She said confidently.

"Well my little hooved white-tailed friend, my aid is yours for as long as you need it. But my ultimate goal is to fight back the Twilight's Hammer until they're driven from these woods for good. That no-good, uppity, white-livered scoundrel Cho'gall is the reason why these forests are beset by cultists and firelands creatures alike!" He said, still talking loudly.

"Is it true that you once fought Cho'gall?" Allie asked.

"Hmph!" Witherbark said, clearing his throat. "Everyone loves to exaggerate! I fought the two-headed, pot-bellied, skinflint bugger when he was only an apprentice! But he has grown much stronger since then. Twisted by the dark magics of the Old Gods, he is." He said, his bark still creaking as he talked. "If Cho'gall isn't stopped, soon the entire forest will wither away and rot, like my wretched self!" He shouted loudly, shaking his fist in the air.

"Well." Arrin said. "Thankfully we have an old gaffer like you to keep us safe...I feel better already..." He remarked sarcastically.

Mr. Witherbark grumbled. "Now you've done it you feathery bugger!" Witherbark said, scowling at Arrin and raising his cane into the air. "You pompous little vermin! I'll have you strung up by your ankles and plucked bare like a turkey!" He growled as he took a swing at Arrin with his cane.

Arrin quickly ducked the blow before leaping into their air to avoid further strikes.

"Mr. Witherbark." Abbie interjected, wanting to break up the fight. "We need your help." She said.

"Oh?" Witherbark responded.

Abbie looked over at Allie. "Can you do something for her feet? We're trying to avoid the Druids but she's leaving a trail of fiery footprints wherever we go."

Mr. Witherbark rubbed his chin for a moment as he looked Allie over. He suddenly shoved Allie roughly, pushing her over until she rolled over onto her back.

"Ow..." Allie said as she hit the ground.

Mr. Witherbark grabbed her back legs by her ankles and lifted her off the ground upside down. He inspected Allie's feet with his monocle after bringing her legs close enough to his old eyes to get a good look.

Allie, who was dangling upside down, lifted her head up to see what was doing.

Mr. Witherbark measured each paw with his fingers, trying to get an exact size. He then brushed his hand over her foot, extending some of his bark onto her paws, covering them with a sock-like layer of wood. He then did the same to her other paw until both of them were covered with bark. The bindings glowed a bright green momentarily as they sealed on tight. He then dropped her back onto the ground.

"Ow..." Allie said as she landed with a thud.

Witherbark did the same thing for her front paws, covering them both with a layer of magical bark that sealed on tight. "That should take care of your little mittens!" He said, letting go of her.

Allie rolled back over and stood up. She looked underneath where she was standing but nothing was burning. "Hey it worked!" Allie said with a smile. "But won't the bark burn off of my feet?"

"Hmph!" Witherbark said, placing both hands on his cane again. "If you think your magic is stronger than mine then you are sorely mistaken! Those socks aren't coming off any time soon!" He reassured.

"I don't think it's wise to linger her any further." Arrin said. "We've made quite a commotion here. Perhaps it's best we move on before the Druids come."

Abbie nodded. "He's right. We should go." She said before turning around.

Arrin glided back down until he was resting on Allie's shoulder.

"Psst!" Allie said to Arrin.

He noticed Allie trying to whisper to him so he lowered his head down to her mouth, his ear perked.

"I wonder if his name starts with an 'A'?" She said with a smile.

Arrin sighed. "Allie..."

"Come on!" Allie said, happily.

"We are not the 'A-team'" Arrin said.

"Mr. Witherbark?" Allie said, catching up to Mr. Witherbark who was strolling along behind Abbie, his cane tapping the ground as he walked. "Mr. Witherbark!" She said.

"Who said that!" Witherbark said looking around.

"Down here." Allie said, trying to get his attention. "Do you have a first name?"

Mr. Witherbark looked down at her to answer her question. "Amos. Amos Witherbark is my name!" He said before letting off a hacking cough.

Allie looked up at Arrin and smiled very happily. Arrin lowered his head and grumbled. "Of course..."


End file.
